The Indian Quagmire
The East India Company Spy nodded confidently. "It shouldn't be wrong. I've heard the same thing from multiple sources."
"The Shah's gang surrounds Tipu all day, portraying us as a huge threat. Furthermore, the Mysore people are against us..."
Although Sheikh Khan, Shah and others have ousted Jahan Zeb, the Pro-England Faction in Mysore still wields considerable power, and they are determined to seize this opportunity of anti-British sentiment to eliminate United Kingdom influence in Mysore.
Half an hour later, the Spy left Griffith's office. The senior representative of the East India Company immediately ordered his Servant to prepare Carriage to go to the Ambavilas Palace, hoping to sound out Tipu Sultan's opinion.
Tipu Sultan was recently troubled by the United Kingdom "instructing" Jahan Zeb to kill more than 300 people, so he naturally wouldn't give him a friendly look. The Shah also added fuel to the fire, trying his best to steer the conversation toward the United Kingdom "atrocities."
Griffith was scolded almost the entire time, and was then kicked out.
Upon leaving the Ambavilas Palace, Griffith's expression was grave—based on the Spy reports and Tipu Sultan's attitude today, the situation was likely very serious.
He immediately returned to his residence and wrote a report to the Governor of India Cornwallis, on the situation in Mysore, recommending the temporary evacuation of East India Company employees from Mysore.
He handed the letter to the messenger and then immediately began arranging the United Kingdom evacuation— Mysore could declare war at any moment, and it would be too late to evacuate by waiting for the Governor's reply.
Meanwhile, Salah received news that the United Kingdom had begun withdrawing from Mysore and immediately smiled.
The intelligence obtained by United Kingdom East India Company Spy was sold by his men at the Shah's behest. Additionally, one of Tipu Sultan's close aides also received money from him to imply that "the Sultan has decided to launch a preemptive attack on the United Kingdom."
Given the recent surge of anti-British sentiment in Mysore, the United Kingdom may well choose to temporarily leave this troubled place.
If Griffith still wants to persist, the French Intelligence Bureau will continue to arrange some "surprises" for him, such as the people of Mysore looting United Kingdom merchants, or even the kidnapping of the United Kingdom. It's hard to believe that the United Kingdom can still hold out.
Salah simply didn't expect Griffith to be so "cooperative," choosing to leave immediately.
He immediately went to consult with Lafayette, and the next morning they went together to meet Tipu Sultan.
Ambavilas Palace, Lafayette looked at Tipu with a worried expression. "Your Majesty, I have been reminding you that the United Kingdom will launch another invasion of Mysore. Now it is clear that they are withdrawing from Mysore, obviously in preparation for a subsequent military offensive."
Although he was somewhat disdainful of Salah's methods, the latter had already laid the groundwork, so he naturally wouldn't waste the opportunity.
Tipu Sultan's face was also grim. As the ruler of Mysore, he certainly couldn't be unaware of the United Kingdom East India Company's withdrawal.
Salah then stepped forward and began to vividly recount the horrific scenes of the two previous Mysore War, especially the immense damage the latter war inflicted on Mysore.
In fact, if Joseph does not intervene in the situation in India, the United Kingdom will provoke the Third Anglo-Mysore War early next year, which will be the biggest blow to Mysore.
That war cost Mysore half of its territory and resulted in a massive indemnity of Pound Sterling 3 million, or Livre.
From then on, Tipu, known as the "Tiger of Mysore," became a toothless tiger, no longer able to contend with the United Kingdom, and ultimately died in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War in 1799 defending Srirangapatna.
At this time, the United Kingdom still had nearly six months before they could make war preparations— the East India Company needed a considerable amount of time to transport weapons and supplies from the Britain mainland, thousands of nautical miles away—and if Mysore launched a preemptive attack on the United Kingdom before then, it would cause the latter enormous losses.
Although given United Kingdom's resources, Mysore would find it difficult to completely defeat it, if the United Kingdom wanted to keep India as "the most dazzling Gem in the crown," they would inevitably have to divert resources from other places—such as the funds used to annoy France in North Africa —to India.
This would immediately alleviate France's predicament in North Africa, and could even increase aid to Mysore, further raising the cost of the United Kingdom colonization.
Of course, Joseph would not bleed Mysore dry like Louis XVI did in supporting United States independence, but rather aim to maximize his gains with minimal cost.
Finally, Tipu Sultan could no longer remain calm when Salah recounted the death of his father, Hyder, in the war against the United Kingdom.
He jumped to his feet from the large, golden chair, clenching his fists, and said, "You're right! Rather than waiting for the United Kingdom to attack Mysore again, I'd better take the initiative!"
He turned to the Palace Steward beside him. "Send the order to convene a meeting of ministers immediately."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Mysore's "Council of Ministers" also follows the model of Europe Cabinet Meeting, with four ministers in charge of Finance, military, industry and commerce, and religion, plus the Sultan's secretary (currently on pilgrimage and temporarily vacant) and important military generals, forming the core political power institution of the country.
Tipu Sultan then looked at Lafayette: "If possible, I hope you can also attend this meeting."
The latter immediately bowed slightly. "It is my honor, Your Majesty."
Around 5 p. m., Salah, who had been anxiously pacing outside the Ambavilas Palace, finally spotted Lafayette and hurried over to greet him, "My lord, what was the result?"
Lafayette straightened his coat with a relaxed expression, revealing a rare smile since arriving in India, and said in a low voice, "The decision to go to war with the United Kingdom has been made, and none of the ministers object."
Salah nodded excitedly, "That's great!"
"That's all I can do. The rest is up to you, Your Excellency Marquis."
Lafayette patted him confidently on the shoulder. "I won't let you down, my old friend."
Leading rookies into battle, especially foreign rookies, is what Lafayette excels at.
Back then, he was a rookie leading the United States Continental Army and defeated the powerful British Expeditionary Force.
He had previously visited the Mysore army, which had apparently undergone some European training. While generally slightly inferior to the American Militia, these men were more obedient—officers could even order them to commit suicide on the spot.
The greater advantage lies in the sheer number of soldiers Mysore; even before mobilization has begun, there are already over 58,000. According to Tipu Sultan, the maximum number of troops that can be mobilized is around 120,000.